Pake tutorial: package any website as a desktop app

tw93/Pake is a tool for packaging websites as desktop applications. It is useful for wrapping GitHub, internal systems, personal blogs, weekly report pages, and web tools into independent windows, reducing browser tab clutter.

Project repository:

https://github.com/tw93/Pake

Install Pake CLI

The README gives this command:

1

pnpm install -g pake-cli

If you do not have pnpm, install it first:

1

npm install -g pnpm

The Simplest Package

Package GitHub as a desktop app:

1

pake https://github.com --name GitHub

Pake will automatically try to fetch the site’s icon. This is a good first test to verify that your environment works.

Custom Icon and Window

The README includes a fuller example:

1

pake https://weekly.tw93.fun --name Weekly --icon https://cdn.tw93.fun/pake/weekly.icns --width 1200 --height 800 --hide-title-bar

Common parameters can be understood like this:

1. --name: application name.
2. --icon: application icon.
3. --width / --height: window size.
4. --hide-title-bar: hide the title bar to make the app feel more native.

Local Development

If you want to modify Pake itself:

1

pnpm i

Local development:

1

pnpm run dev

Build the app:

1

pnpm run build

What to Package

Pake is suitable for these websites:

1. Internal company admin panels.
2. Frequently used documentation sites.
3. Chat, monitoring, and dashboard web pages.
4. Personal fixed-use web tools.

It is not a great fit for websites with very complex login flows, strong dependency on browser extensions, or frequent multi-tab collaboration. Test with a simple page first, then package services you plan to use long term.